Just over a month after the announcement of the paint color palettes predicted to trend in the year ahead, the Sherwin-Williams 2023 Color of the Year has been announced. The paint company has selected—drum roll, please—Redend Point (SW-9081), a blush-beige suggestive of desert tones, as its 2023 Color of the Year.
Described by Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams’s director of color marketing, as “not too light or too dark, not too moody or too sweet,” Redend Point is a quintessential example of a mid-tone neutral. It can play as a colorful companion to cooler neutrals—such as Homburg Gray, a fellow shade from Sherwin-Williams’s 2023 Colormix Forecast—yet it can also tame more overtly colorful choices. At the same time, Redend Point can also stand on its own, giving a room an uplifting vibe.
Though not everyone’s experience of the 2020s has been identical, the universal adoption of green during last year’s color trend season was a clear signal that our lives—and by extent, our homes—have been shaped by many of the same forces. While it’s easy to say things have gone back to normal, there’s also hope that a newfound spirit of empathy and a reinvigorated sense of connection could lead to brighter days ahead.
Those notions of warmth and interpersonal care steered Sherwin-Williams toward Redend Point. “There was so much conversation about this idea of empathy and care culture that we were seeing in the macro trend world, and we tied that to the warmer energy of certain earth-type colors,” Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams’s director of color marketing, recalls of the selection process. “Then, it was just a matter of determining the right color, which ended up being Redend Point.”
Standing apart from the comparative coolness of Evergreen Fog, Urbane Bronze, and Naval— Sherwin-Williams’s three prior colors of the year—Redend Point speaks to the gradual warming of neutrals in the 2020s after a decade defined by taupes and grays. Wadden sees it as a sign that “energizing” earth tones are in, which could also be seen as another side of last year’s trend toward natural, restorative colors like greens and blues.
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“It’s a great option [that] plays well with other neutrals,” Wadden explains. “If you put it next to beige, Redend Point really looks like a color. But on its own, you see that it really does act like a neutral, so it’s well-behaved.”
Though it may be well-behaved, Redend Point’s utility isn’t limited to old-fashioned scenarios. Wadden cites a wide array of potential use cases, from kitchen cabinets to bedroom walls. Materials like wood and natural textiles, as well as terra-cotta and clay colors, can help Redend Point give off a desert-like Southwestern feel. But what might be most interesting is Redend Point’s ability to shine in unexpected contexts.
“With small accessories, using this color could have a big impact. Or maybe you want to put gray on your wall, but could use Redend Point on your ceiling,” the Sherwin-Williams expert advises. “It can be a gorgeous accent color when used in an unexpected way, and that’s what I like about it.”
And speaking of accessories that pair with Redend Point, the paint company has partnered with Etsy to launch a curated collection of decor and art that celebrates the Sherwin-Williams 2023 Color of the Year. Featuring works from a number of sellers, the special collection includes stoneware vases, hand-printed linen napkins, and more—each featuring the color or complementing its vibes.
“Redend Point is an ideal choice for bringing a sense of serenity and nature into any space,” Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert, said in a press release announcing the collaboration. “The unique handcrafted items we’ve curated on Etsy can complement this soulful hue in almost any room.”
No matter how it’s ultimately used, Redend Point has the power to create a convivial yet laid-back atmosphere at a time of pent-up interest in entertaining and social connection. And by bestowing it with Color of the Year status, Wadden and Sherwin-Williams hope that it encourages both designers and DIY’ers to find the rewards that await outside their comfort zone.
“If it’s something that you wouldn’t normally consider doing, I think that’s where people can use this color,” Wadden says. “Unexpectedly, you’ll really like it.”
